Sherpa and Action Aid continue actions against Samsung for misleading information over working conditions

Sherpa and ActionAid France file a second lawsuit following the closing of the case by the public prosecutor.

Sherpa and ActionAid France – Peuples solidaires file this “civil party” lawsuit for misleading advertising seeking the instruction of an investigating judge. The gap between Samsung's ethical commitments and the violations of workers' fundamental rights alleged to have occurred in its factories in China and South Korea must be sanctioned, the associations argue.

On January 11, 2018, Sherpa and ActionAid France - Peuples Solidaires filed a complaint with the Paris prosecutor's office for misleading advertising against Samsung Electronics France, and its South Korean parent company, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. On March 6, 2018, the Public Prosecutor decided to close the preliminary investigation.

However, the key elements of the complaint, including detailed witness statements collected by China Labor Watch from inside Samsung factories, would report serious violations of fundamental rights. These include the employment of children under the age of sixteen years of age; abusive working hours; and working conditions and accommodation that we consider incompatible with human dignity. In addition, further reports show that the use of benzene and methanol in Samsung production factories has reportedly caused incurable illnesses in some employees.

In addition, there is new evidence that the abuse and exposure to the chemicals reported in South Korea could also be found in Samsung's factories in Vietnam, where the company has more than 50 percent of its phones produced.

In view of all these elements, including some new crucial ones, Sherpa and ActionAid France have chosen to persevere and to file a complaint with civil party to the Paris court (Tribunal de Grande Instance of Paris). The associations have chosen to move forward against the decision of the court in Bobigny to close the case twice. The first time the case was closed after a preliminary investigation, which was limited to the hearing of some heads of Samsung France. The second time, it was closed without even having carried out an act of investigation, the associations claim.

“While multinationals use these ethical commitments to maintain their competitiveness, workers and consumers are powerless when faced with the failure to comply with these commitments. Recognition of the crime of misleading advertising, an innovative legal basis in this matter, would provide an effective mean of demanding the respect of these commitments. However, this legal ground will not allow victims, here the workers, to be compensated for these violations, so there is a need to give them a voice in our campaign and to negotiate an international treaty on the duty of vigilance”, says Marie Laure Guislain, head of the litigation department at Sherpa.

“A proper investigation and ruling on this case would be an important step towards restoring the power imbalance between workers, consumers and multinationals - holding multinational corporations to account for their commitments to respect human rights in their supply chains,” says Heloise Squelbut, campaign officer for ActionAid France.

If Samsung is to become "one of the most ethical companies in the world", according to the company's statement, it must be able to report on its commitments to the courts.